Who were the 11 survivors of the Mahabharata War?

 The 11 survivors were the Pandavas, Lord Krishna, Satyaki, Yuyutsu, Kripa, Kritavarma, Ashwatthama.

Sanjaya’s report

They were confounded by destiny and only women are left in this world. There are seven left on the side of the Pandavas and three on the side of the sons of Dhritarastra.

There are the five brothers and Vasudeva and Satyaki. And there are Kripa, Kritavarma and Droṇa's son, supreme among victorious ones. O great king! O supreme among kings! Those are the only rathas who are left. O lord of men! O great king! Out of the akshauhinis that assembled, these are the only ones who are left. Everyone else has been killed.

• 1, Shalya Parva, Mahabharata.

He mentions 10 survivors and don't mention Yuyutsu. Maybe he thought that Yuyutsu had died.

Krishna on the other hand does report that Yuyutsu survived

After this, the Pandava soldiers were sleeping in their camp in the night. Intolerant because his father had been killed, they were slain by Drona's son. Their sons were killed. Their soldiers were killed. Their friends were killed. I, Yuyudhana as the second, and the five Pandavas are the only ones who remain. With Kripa and Bhoja, Drona's son is the only one who escaped from the Kaurava side. Having sought refuge with the Pandavas, Yuyutsu also escaped.

• 59, Ashwamedhika parva, Mahabharata.

Pandavas and Satyaki- Krishna had taken them away so that they won't interfere with the divine plan to eliminate the Panchalas.

Yuyutsu - He had returned to Hastinapura with Duryodhana's wives.

Ashwatthama - Krishna cursed him to suffer for 3000 years.

Kritavarma and Kripa - fled to Dwaraka and Hastinapura respectively.

At which instances did Surya help Pandavas in the epic Mahabharata?

 

The Prashnopanishad reveals that at the beginning of creation, God created two things: the sky (inert matter) and the Sun (life force).

Sun is the life force for all beings.

" Sipivishtaḥa " is a powerful nama in Vishnu Sahasranamam. ' Si " refers to water. ' SyAtyat " implies coolness. ' pi ' stands for pibati (drinking); ' Sipi ' refers to rays—which drink up the water.

Sun takes water from seas, mainly, through his rays and provide water to rivers for crops/food.

Sun provides food to all beings.

After loosing the dice game, Pandavas went to forest for 12 years exile.

As the number of guests increased day by day, it became difficult for the Pandavas to arrange meals for them. Krishna then advised Dharmaraja to pray to the Sun God (Surya Narayana). When Dharmaraja offered his prayers, the Sun God bestowed upon him an Akshaya Patra (an inexhaustible vessel).

This vessel would provide whatever food was requested.

The Sun God is the provider of food.

Subhamastu

What is the main message of the Mahabharata?

 Main Message —

“ Women or Weak-Men cause destruction. So Be aware ”

In Mahabharata, women plays a stronger role than men. From Shantanu Ganga story to Gandhari's curse in the end, women are shown superior. They are even shown superior to God. They are not shown as devoted to husbands household or family but the other way around. Now think about the kind of women it depicts

Women in Mahabharata are decisive characters, controlling, reasonable and intellectual than their men counterparts around. Men also are shown as weak, which adds a strong bonus to destruction. Manhood is crushed pathetically, but presented in a great literary style. In some cases men are virtually absent (pandavas Father). Brotherhood, manhood, Fatherhood are all strategically erased in the epic.

Its a women who demanded Shantanu to never question her actions, which lead to 7 infanticide. Its a women who wins against the penance of a hermit (Parasara muni). Its a women who demanded her son (Vyasa) to copulate 3 women under emergency in between his meditation. It's a women whose behavior caused Vidur to be virtuous amidst the politics and hateful set up. It's women who builds up characters in pandavas and their cousins. It's a women who turns prostitue from piousness under influence of her mother in law. It's a women who broke her child's heart (Karna). It's women who even cursed the God. And so on…

So, you could finally conclude that Mahabharata is an epic that glorifies women ego, unbiased of any moral questions. It never depicts the feminine innocence that brings joy to the world, rather the rebellious traits in a women. It's an ancient text that rebels towards patriarchy, questions manhood, revolts masculinity only to bring bloodshed and immorality of highest kind. So, the advice is read the epic but with great caution towards the influence it brings upon your heart mind and soul.

OM BRAHMANAYE NAMAHA 🕉

Who are the top 5 handsome people in Mahabharata excluding Lord Krishna?

 The following are the top 5 handsome people in Mahabharata with the exception of Krishna:

1: PRADYUMNA:

Son of Krishna himself, + incarnation of kamadeva, i don't think i need to give anymore explanation for this.

2: KARNA:

The explanation i saved in the previous rank, will be used here as karna has the most haters and a lot of people are gonna cry about this,

1. Karna was the biological son of surya himself, the offsprings of surya are often passed down the most elite genetics for looks, all the sons of surya were the most handsomest, ashwani kumars, son of surya are mentioned to be the most attractive in all 3 realms with a few exceptions of shiva, narayana. And their avtars, kartikeya and kamdeva, yama got cursed for ego he had in his handsomeness who was also the biological son of surya.

1. Karna was often discribed exceedingly handsome by vyasa and Krishna himself.

• Reference: Karna parva section 72:

• He is eight ratnis in stature. His arms are large. His chest is broad. He is invincible. He is sensitive. He is a hero. He is, again, the foremost of heroes. He is exceedingly handsome. Possessed of every accomplishment of a warrior,

3. Along with all these characteristics, karna had a 8 ratnis body too, i.e anime/greek god physique which in the whole mahabharat only karna and Krishna are mentioned to have. One more common thing, both Krishna and karna were described to have lotus-like eye.

4. Karna is mentioned to have fair-golden complexion with radiating golden aura giving him a god like appearance and beauty

3: NAKULA:

Son of ashwani kumar (elite genetics for looks), is often mentioned as the handsomest being on the earth in ved vyas's authentic mahabharat. Nakula’s handsomeness often stood out and his looks were the thing he was most celebrated for.

4: SEHDEVA:

Sehdeva, also the son of ashwani Kumar (elite genetics for looks), sehdeva is also repeatedly mentioned as the handsomest in ved vyas's authentic mahabharat.

5: BHIMA:

Son of Vayu (great genetics for looks), vayu is in some texts contradictorily mentions vayu to be even better looking than surya thought that is a contradiction, muscularity of him also contributes well to his appearance.

SOURCES:

• KMG TRANSLATION OF VED VYAS'S AUTHENTIC MAHABHARAT
• VEDAS
• PURANAS

SADASHIVAMBHAJAMYAHAM 🔱

Is there anything even older than Ramayana and Mahabharata?

A chronological journey through ancient Indian history, showing the evolution from the early Vedic Age and Upanishadic wisdom to the epic eras of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The question of what lies beyond the horizon of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is not just a search for older books, but a journey into the deepest layers of human memory. To find what is older than these two great epics, one must look at the very foundation upon which they were built.

Before the grand battles of Kurukshetra were fought and before the kingdom of Ayodhya was chronicled, there existed a timeless oral tradition. This tradition did not rely on ink or palm leaves, but on the flawless, syllable-by-syllable transmission of sound through generations of seers.

The epics themselves provide the first clue to this mystery, as both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata frequently pause their narratives to pay homage to an older, higher authority. The characters within these epics look backward in time to texts that were already considered ancient even during the golden ages of Rama and Krishna.

These ancient sources are the Vedas, which represent the oldest layered structure of knowledge in Indo-European history. Among them, the Rigveda stands as the absolute oldest, a collection of sacred hymns that captures a world existing thousands of years before the epics were ever committed to writing.

While the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are classified as Itihasa, meaning history or that which happened, the Vedas are classified as Sruti, meaning that which was heard by ancient rishis in deep states of meditation.

To understand the timeline, one must look at how human thought evolved across these eras, moving from the cosmic chants of the Vedas to the structured philosophical inquiries of the Upanishads, and finally into the narrative storytelling of the Epics.

The world of the Rigveda is fundamentally different from the world of the epics, as it lacks the grand stone palaces, complex urban kingdoms, and detailed genealogies that define the stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Instead, the Rigveda speaks of a pastoral, river-centric civilization that worshipped the elemental forces of nature like fire, wind, and water.

Astronomical calculations found within the hymns of the Rigveda point to planetary alignments that date back to 4000 BCE and even earlier, long before the cultural settings described in the two great epics.

Furthermore, archeological and linguistic studies of the ancient Sarasvati River, which is described as a mighty, flowing river in the Rigveda but is already drying up by the time of the Mahabharata, prove the geographical antiquity of the Vedic texts.

Therefore, the ultimate answer to what is older than the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is the Vedic literature, an ancient ocean of sound and philosophy from which the epics themselves eventually emerged.

How many years ago did Mahabharat happen?

NASA software and ancient Sanskrit texts just agreed on the exact date of the Mahabharat war. It’s time to stop calling our history a 'mythology

To the modern world, the Mahabharat is just a piece of "mythology." But if you ask the modern data scientists, astronomers, and archeologists who have mapped the stars and dug deep into the soil of Kurukshetra, they will tell you a completely different story.

The short answer is: Mahabharat happened approximately 5,000 years ago. Specifically around 3139 BCE.

But here is where the mystery becomes an undeniable scientific reality. How do we know this exact timeline? The answer doesn't come from old stories—it comes from the stars and the ground.

1. The Astronomical Evidence (The Cosmic Blueprint)

The sage Ved Vyas didn't just write a story; he recorded the exact positions of the planets, stars, and eclipses during the war. For centuries, Western historians laughed at these descriptions, calling them poetic imaginations.

But recently, researchers used advanced Planetarium Software (the same tech used by NASA to track star movements). They fed the exact planetary configurations mentioned in the Mahabharat text into the system—such as the solar and lunar eclipses occurring within 13 days, and the specific positions of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

The result? The software flipped back the cosmic calendar and found only ONE exact date in human history where the stars aligned perfectly as described by Ved Vyas: October 16, 3139 BCE. Think about it: How could someone 5,000 years ago calculate complex planetary positions backward or forward without a supercomputer, unless they actually witnessed it?

2. The Sunken Kingdom of Dwarka

For decades, critics claimed that Krishna’s golden city of Dwarka was nothing but a myth. But in the late 1980s, the Marine Archaeology Unit of India’s National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) conducted underwater excavations off the coast of Gujarat.

What they found shocked the global scientific community:

An entire submerged city with massive fortified walls, stone anchors, and a grid-like street layout.

The architectural remains were carbon-dated. The age? Exactly around 3000 BCE to 1500 BCE.

The Mahabharat states that exactly 36 years after the war, Dwarka sank into the ocean. The underwater ruins match the scriptural descriptions word-for-word.

3. The Beginning of Kali Yuga

According to the Surya Siddhanta and ancient Indian calendars, Kali Yuga began at the exact moment Lord Krishna left his mortal body. Traditional Vedic calculations mark the beginning of Kali Yuga at February 18, 3102 BCE. If you subtract the 36 years (the time between the war and Krishna's departure), you arrive exactly at 3138-3139 BCE.

Every single independent source—astronomy, archaeology, and ancient texts—converges at the exact same timeline.

Conclusion: Myth vs. History

The Western world calls it a myth because it challenges their version of history, which claims that humans were primitive cavemen 5,000 years ago. But the Mahabharat proves that ancient India possessed a civilization far more advanced in science, astronomy, and philosophy than we can imagine.

It didn't happen in the imagination of a poet. It happened right here, on our soil, 5,000 years ago.

How powerful was Pradyuman in the Mahabharata?

 Pradyumna was eldest son of Shri Krishna and Mata Rukmini. He was Incarcation of Sanathakumara as well as Kamadeva . He was one of the most powerful warriors of Dwarapar yuga .Pradyumna was eldest Son of Shri Krishna and Mata Rukmini who was lakshmi herself and his first wife. He was abducted by demon Sambara 7 days after his birth and threw into ocean. He was then swallowed by Fish and when fish was caught and cut open he was found in sambara's house. He was given to Mayawati who was cook in Samabara's house but was Rati wife of kamadeva in disguise.

Let's come to his power and feats.

1. Pradyumna killed the all Sons of Sambara in battle.

Krishna's son too, worked up with anger, struck them in the battle each with five arrows shot off his bow. Thereupon those resolute Asuras, exceedingly wroth, set up a net-work of weapons for killing Pradyumna. There at worked up with anger Ananga soon took up his bow .He then killed the ten highly powerful sons of Shamvara.The next moment, filled with anger the powerful son of Keshava soon cut off Chitrasena's head with a Bhalla. There upon the remaining sons of Shamvara, anxious to fight, began to run taking up and discharging arrows. And for killing Ananga they all unitedly fought and shot arrows. The highly powerful son of Krishna, on the other hand, cut off their heads, as if in sport. Having thus slain one hundred sons of Shamvara, all good bow men, he stood in the battle field desirous of fighting.

2. Pradyumna was one of the warriors who possesed The Rare powerful Vaishnavastra of Shri Hari Vishnu. He slayed demon sambara with vaishnavastra. Narada gave him vaishnavastra on orders of Indra taking it from him.

Thereupon informed of his motive the king of gods said to Närada —“Do you soon approach the car of the large armed Pradyumna, make him conscious and remind him of his pristine birth. Give that of slayer of Asura this invincible coat of mail and Vaishnava weapons.”

Thereupon bending his bow and setting to it the Vaishnava arrow which Närada had brought, Keshava's son said:-“O arrow, if I am the son of Rukshmini begotten by Keshava do thou, on the strength of this truth, kill Shamvara in the battle-field.” Saying this the noble-minded Pradyumna, as if to consume the three worlds, drew his bow and shot the arrow at Shamvara. Thereupon that arrow, discharged by that Vrishni chief, piercing Shamvara's breast, entered into the earth. By the energy of that Vaishnava arrow all his flesh, bones, nerves, skull and blood were reduced to ashes.

3. Pradyumna was one of the few warriors who knew complete secret of chakravyuha.

Addressing Abhimanyu, that slayer of hostile heroes, who was not inferior to Vasudeva himself and whose energy was superior to that of Arjuna, the king said, 'O child, act in such a way that Arjuna, returning (from the Samsaptakas), may not reprove us. We do not know how to break the circular array. Thyself, or Arjuna or Krishna, or Pradyumna, can pierce that array. O mighty-armed one, no fifth person can be found (to achieve that teat).

4. Arjuna said he trusts only Pradyumna and Satyaki for protection of Yudhisthira.

Making over the monarch to thee, O mighty-armed one, or to that great car-warrior Pradyumna, I can go with an easy heart towards Jayadratha.

5. Pradyumna was Guru to Abhimanyu as well as Upapandavas in Dwarka.

And, O Krishna, as Rukmini's son is the preceptor of Aniruddha, of Abhimanyu, of Sunitha, and of Bhanu; so he is the preceptor and the refuge of your sons also! And a good preceptor, would unceasingly give them lessons in the wielding of maces and swords and bucklers, in missiles and in the arts of driving cars and of riding horses, being valiant. And he, the son of Rukmini, having bestowed a very good training upon them, and having taught them the art of using various weapons in a proper way, takes satisfaction at the valorous deeds of your sons, and of Abhimanyu.

6. Pradyumna's only arrows were powerful enough to defeat like of Kripa and karna and drona.

Kripa and Drona and Vikarna and Kama are not able to bear the keen arrows shot by Pradyumna.

7. Pradyumna accompanied Krishna and Balrama in banasur battle and defeated Lord Kartikeya in battle.

Kārtikeya was so strongly beaten by Pradyumna that he fled the battlefield, while the remnants of Bāṇāsura’s army, harried by the blows of Lord Balarāma’s club, scattered in all directions.

8. Pradyumna was a great illusionist. He had repulsed and destroyed strong illusions of Sambara and Shalva .

Sources:-

Harivamsa Chapter CCLII

Harivamsa Chapter CCLIII

Harivamsa Chapter CCLIV

Drona Parva: Abhimanyu-badha Parva: Section XXXIII

Drona Parva: Jayadratha-Vadha Parva: Section CX

Vana Parva: Markandeya-Samasya Parva: Section CLXXXII

Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section CXX

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

Image's courtesy:- Internet.

Who was Alambusa, in Mahabharata?

Ālambuśa was a great Rakshasha warrior of Kauravas , relative of Bakasura , he was an enemy of Bhimasena .

Ālambuśa feats :-

• Ālambuśa killed Iravan and his Naga supporters :

He roared like a lion and advanced to where Arjuna’s young son was. He was surrounded by his own soldiers, who were brave and armed. They were accomplished in fighting, were astride mounts and were armed with polished lances. He wished to kill the immensely powerful Iravat in battle. The valiant and swift Iravat was enraged. The slayer of enemies countered the rakshasa who was seeking his death. On seeing that he was descending on him, the extremely powerful rakshasa swiftly resorted to his powers of maya. He created a large number of illusory horses. They were ridden by terrible rakshasas, who wielded spears and javelins. Two thousand of these armed ones angrily advanced. The two sides clashed and quickly sent each other to the land of the dead. When the soldiers on both sides had been killed, the two of them, invincible in battle, attacked each other in that encounter, like Vritra against Vasava. On seeing the rakshasa, invincible in battle, advance against him, the extremely strong Iravat was enraged and attacked him. When the evil-minded one approached close, he used his sword to slice off his blazing sword and shattered his shield into five parts. On seeing that the bow had been severed, he quickly resorted to the sky and angrily confounded Iravat with his maya. But Iravat also rose up into the sky and confounded the rakshasa with his own maya. He was invincible too and could assume any form at will. He knew about the body’s inner organs and pierced his body with his arrows. O great king! The foremost among rakshasas was repeatedly wounded through these arrows, but he became hale again and regained his youth. Maya is natural to them, and according to their wishes, so are energy, age and beauty. Thus, though the rakshasa’s limbs were repeatedly mangled, they healed. Iravat used his sharp battle axe to repeatedly slice angrily at the immensely strong rakshasa. That brave and powerful rakshasa was repeatedly sliced like a tree and roared terribly, making a tumultuous sound. Wounded by the battle-axe, the rakshasa began to profusely shed blood. The powerful one became enraged and continued to battle forcefully. On seeing that the enemy was so energetic in the battle, Rishyashringa’s son assumed an extremely terrible and gigantic form. While everyone looked on, he tried to grasp him in the forefront of that battle. But seeing this maya employed by the great-souled rakshasa, Iravat angrily created his own maya. He was overcome by anger and he was one who never retreated from battle. O king! His mother’s relatives approached him and he was surrounded by many nagas in that battle, assuming a great form like Bhogavat. The rakshasa was enveloped by many kinds of nagas. Enveloped by those nagas, that bull among rakshasas thought and assumed the form of Suparna, so that he could devour the nagas. On seeing that his mother’s relatives were devoured through maya, Iravat was confused. And the rakshasa killed him with his sword. Iravat’s head was adorned with earrings and a diadem and was as radiant as a lotus or the moon. The rakshasa made it fall down on the ground.

• Chapter 946(86) , Bhishma-Vadha Parva , Bhishma Parva .
• Ālambuśa trashed the Pandava Army :

Stationing himself at a short distance, he started to drive away the soldiers. In that battle, he killed the great army of the Pandavas. The rakshasa attacked them in the encounter, like Bali against the army of the gods. O venerable one! There was great oppression and slaughter among those soldiers. The rakshasa, terrible in form, killed them in that battle. He released thousands of arrows on the great army of the Pandavas. The rakshasa displayed his valour and drove them back in that battle. Thus slaughtered by the rakshasa, terrible in form, the army of the Pandavas was frightened and fled from the field of battle. He crushed those soldiers, like an elephant amidst lotuses.

• Chapter 956(96) , Bhishma-Vadha Parva , Bhishma Parva .
• Ālambuśa defeated five Upapandavas :

In that encounter, the immensely strong one then attacked the sons of Droupadi. The great archers who were Droupadi’s sons were armoured and became wrathful. All of them advanced against the rakshasa, like five planets against the sun. Prativindhya swiftly pierced the immensely strong rakshasa with sharp, vigorous and iron arrows. They penetrated his armour and the supreme among rakshasas looked resplendent. He was like a giant mass of rain clouds, penetrated by the rays of the sun. O king! He was struck by arrows that were embellished with gold and Rishyashringa’s son looked like a mountain with a flaming summit. In that great battle, the five brothers pierced the Indra among rakshasas with sharp arrows that were embellished with gold. O king! Pierced by terrible arrows that were like angry snakes, Alambusha became as angry as a king of elephants. O great king! O venerable one! He was pierced within a short instant. Having been wounded, the maharatha remained unconscious for a long time. When he regained consciousness, in his rage, he increased his dimensions to double of what they were. He sliced down their arrows, standards and bows. As if smiling, he pierced each of them with three arrows. Maharatha Alambusa seemed to be dancing around on his chariot. The rakshasa was angry and in his rage, the immensely strong one killed the horses and the charioteers of the great-souled ones. In great delight, he again pierced them with extremely sharp arrows. He used many different kinds of arrows, in hundreds and thousands. Those great archers were bereft of their chariots by the rakshasa and the traveller of the night swiftly rushed against them, wishing to kill them. On seeing them thus oppressed in battle by the evil-souled rakshasa, Arjuna’s son attacked the rakshasa in that battle. The battle that commenced was like that between Vritra and Vasava. All those on your side and the maharatha Pandavas witnessed it.

• Chapter 956(96) , Bhishma-Vadha Parva , Bhishma Parva .
• Ālambuśa killed 700 Rathas following Bhima and knocked him down unconscious :

All the beings were astounded and delighted at the battle between the man and the rakshasa. O king! Bhima laughed and pierced Rishyashringa’s intolerant son, Indra among rakshasas, with nine sharp arrows. Pierced in the battle, the rakshasa let out a mighty roar and he and his followers attacked Bhima. He pierced Bhima with five arrows that had drooping tufts. In that battle, the scorcher of enemies quickly destroyed three hundred rathas who were following Bhima. He slew four hundred more and pierced Bhima with arrows. Having been thus pierced by the immensely strong rakshasa, Bhima sat down on the floor of his chariot. He lost his senses. When he recovered his senses, the son of the wind god was overcome by great rage.

• Chapter 1060(83) , Jayadratha-Vadha Parva , Drona Parva .
• Ālambuśa caused carnage in Pandava ranks —— Panchalas , Srynjayas and Chedis :

‘O Partha! Wait for a while in this battle and witness my valour today. O extremely evil one! The powerful Baka, supreme among rakshasas, was my brother. It is true that you killed him, but that happened when I did not see it.’ Having thus spoken to Bhima, he disappeared and enveloped him with a great and severe shower of arrows. O king! When the rakshasa became invisible in that battle, Bhima covered the sky with his straight-tufted arrows. Thus struck by Bhima, he instantly returned to his chariot. He entered deep inside the earth and suddenly rose up into the sky. He adopted many different kinds of forms, some large and some small. From above, he showered down many different kinds of words in every direction. Many Pandava soldiers died. O king! So did fighting elephants, many horses and foot soldiers. Because of those arrows, rathas were brought down in their chariots. A river of blood began to flow and the chariots were eddies. It was infested by crocodiles in the form of elephants. The umbrellas were the swans. It was full of mud. The arms were like serpents. That river began to flow and was populated by large numbers of rakshasas. O king! It flowed and bore along many Chedis, Panchalas and Srinjayas. O king! Thus did he fearlessly roam around in that battle. The Pandavas became extremely anxious at witnessing his valour. The hearts of your soldiers became full of joy. Musical instruments were sounded in fierce and extremely loud tones and this made the body hair stand up. On hearing the terrible sound emitted by your soldiers, the Pandavas could not tolerate it, just as a snake cannot bear the slapping of palms.

• Chapter 1060(83) , Jayadratha-Vadha Parva , Drona Parva .

Jai Sri Krsna .